Assessment of aortic wall stiffness in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever

IntroductionTo evaluate aortic wall stiffness and its relation between the aortic stiffness and the left ventricular function in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF).MethodsThe study population was composed of 31 patients with FMF in attack-free period (12 men, 19 women; mean age: 36 ± 7 years) and 27 healthy subjects (10 men, 17 women; mean age: 34 ± 7 years) who had volunteered to participate. Aortic stiffness indices, aortic strain and distensibility, were calculated from the aortic diameters measured by echocardiography and blood pressure obtained by sphygmomanometry.ResultsThere were significant differences between the control and the patient group in aortic strain (mean (SD), 7.23 ± 2.14 versus 4.91 ± 1.66%, p = 0.01) and distensibility (4.02 ± 1.42 versus 2.84 ± 1.46, 10−6 cm2 dyn−1, p = 0.001). Although there was no correlation between the aortic stiffness parameters and the left ventricular function parameters, there were significant negative correlations between the disease duration and aortic strain index (r = −0.29, p < 0.001), and between the disease duration and distensibility (r = −0.32, p < 0.001).ConclusionAortic stiffness measurements were found abnormal in patients with FMF. We have also demonstrated that there were significant correlations between aortic stiffness parameters and disease duration.